Homework Help


Math Homework Questioning Prompts!
Hello Parents!  Below you will find some sample questions that you can ask your child when helping them with their math homework.  When assisting your child with their math homework, it is helpful to use an “ask-before-tell” approach.  This means that before you explain a problem to your child, ask them to tell you how they solved the problem.  Your child will most likely self correct, and if not, you can use what you heard from your child to provide targeted assistance. Thank you for your support of math at home!    -Mrs. Davis

To help when students get stuck, ask:

·      How would you say the problem in your own words?
·      What do you need to figure out? What is the problem about?
·      Would it help to draw a picture, make a model, or act it out?
·      What have you tried so far?  What else can you try?
·      What do you need to figure out next?
·      Could you try it with simpler or fewer numbers?
·      Would it help to create a table, a graph, a number line, or other diagram?
·      What words are confusing?  What words are familiar?
·      Have you solved problems like this one in class?

To encourage reflection and check progress, ask:

·      Does your answer seem reasonable?  Why or why not?
·      What have you found out so far?
·      Describe your method to me.  Can you explain why it works?
·      What if you had started with __________instead of______________?
·      Will this method work for all numbers?
·      Have you thought of another way to solve this problem?

To justify a solution or process, ask:

·      Why is that the answer?
·      Why do you believe…..?
·      Why did you do it that way?
·      Which is better?  Why?
·      Prove that your answer is correct.

To make connections, compare and/or contrast ideas or concepts, ask:

·      What does this remind you of?
·      How is ________like _________?  How is it different?
·      How could you use this math idea in your life?
·      What ideas that you already learned were useful in solving this problem?
·      Can you think of a general rule that works for all of these cases?
·      Can you write a formula?



                  Math Homework Internet Resources

Hello Parents!  Below I have provided you with some internet resources that will be helpful when supporting your mathematicians at home!  These are good “general resources” for helping your child with math.  Through out the school year, I will be providing you with more websites that are geared toward the specific concepts that we are learning in class.    Enjoy!

*  Our classroom Blog   
 I will be posting updates of what and how your child is learning math in the classroom.  Each week I will include a summary of what was taught, as well as include pictures of the learning in action!

*  National Council of Teachers of Mathematics      
    This frequently updated site connects families to help on homework,  
    current trends in mathematics, and resources.

*  National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
    This site has numerous applets and virtual tools for learning about many
    mathematics topics.

* Figure This! Math Challenges for Families
   This website has a teacher corner and family corner.  It offers outstanding
  resources to help parents understand standards-based mathematics, help 
  with homework, and engage in doing mathematics with your child!

* Math Forum
   This website includes many features for families.  For example, “Dr. Math” is 
   a great homework resource because students can write in their questions   
   and get answers fairly quickly.  Parents can also read and participate in Math
   Discussion groups, read about Key Issues for the Mathematics Community, or
   download some of the very interesting problems posted here.

No comments:

Post a Comment